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Many of you have been complaining, imo rightfully so, about GOG staff locking threads including very long-running popular threads that they say go against the COC. Imo, GOG wants us to get fed up with the limited discussion here and be frustrated enough to leave. This forum, as far as I can tell, is the last bastion of a place that includes people who care about DRM-free gaming in any sort of significant number.

GOG subreddit does not meet this criteria; in fact I recall people on there discussing how "toxic" GOG forum supposedly is, with the toxicity apparently meaning those of us who dare to want a 100% ownable product when we purchase it here instead of being coerced into using the "optional" client. They'll get a little mad about Hitman or Epic, sure, but then go back to slobbering over how awesome they think Galaxy is.

For those interested, Zoom-Platform's discord I assume would be the next biggest place of people who care about DRM-free gaming all in one place. If GOG does away with the forum or it fades into obscurity since no one is left around to champion DRM-free, then I think the continued DRMification of GOG and PC gaming in general will go full-Steam-ahead. Does anyone else think there is anything to my theory?
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IMO "Zoom Platform" has way too few games, and way too high prices on the few games it does have, and a corny name that comes across like a pathetic attempt to imitate a successful company using almost the same name, and they refuse, for no good reason, to change their awful name...all of which will ensure that "Zoom Platform" never grows in any significant way.

Therefore no, I don't agree with your theory.

I think that if & when GOG does down, then DRM-free as a concept is going to become functionally extinct. No store of any significance is going to try it again IMO.

Maybe the death of DRM-free is inevitable. It sure seems that way.
Post edited 2 days ago by Ancient-Red-Dragon
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Regarding the forum part, there is that alternate one... Have no idea how active it remained throughout the years, but at the present time it certainly seems to be. Probably not allowed to link to it though...
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Rather than tighten the COC terms and closing a bunch of threads that probably shouldn't have been closed they should just open an actual general discussion forum that is lightly moderated for stuff that's tangibly problematic and leave the current forums to be specifically about games and be moderated more heavily. It's a pretty simple solution.
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I doubt that GOG is actively trying to drive loyal old users away. However that still is what they are doing right now - they just don't realize it. As usual they don't listen to complaints and as usual they are getting the impression that people just want to attack (just remember their first replys on the Hitman thread). They don't reason they simply decide, they don't talk, they tell - and right now their latest hobby seems to have become closing threads for whatever reason (no, mentioning a store or linking to a store is NOT the same as advertizing - especially since everyone and their dog already knows about these stores already.

In my opinion however there is no master plan behind it. GOG simply is not organized and calm enough to have an actual master plan and if this would be the case they would have followed it in a way that would not create such a backlash. They simply make wrong decisions thinking they are the right decisions because ... I don't know ... mushrooms? ;) No - kidding: I guess those who make those decisions simply don't know how their community is ticking and how a community in generally is working and how a good community is creating more sales in the end. It has to do with psychology and marketing and communication ... all things GOG does not really shine with right now. Anyway ... it still might be that one day GOG decides that it would be the easiest way to simply get rid of the forums just as they think right now that closing threads left and right would be the best and easiest way to deal with "problematic" threads ... especially since they don't have good arguments (as it ahs been said already: countless questiosn have been raised and GOGs answer was to close the thread ... ). If they think closing the forums would be in their interest GOG would be history for me since the forums and a part of the community (the non toxic part) are the one last reason I am still here.
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I've been saying that for ages, that GOG would love for all of us to either join the Galaxy cult or simply go away, and yes, all the sudden hostility definitely feels like an escalation of that.

I was afraid this was was coming, after the ruckus we raised over Hitman, I just knew instead of learning from mistakes that GOG would eventually just double down and start trying to stifle the forum users even harder.

It's ironic that a place as toxic as Reddit has the nerve to pass judgement on anyone else.

As for Zoom, I just don't see it happening, they just seem to limp along, never really improving or picking up more games of note.
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Cavalary: Regarding the forum part, there is that alternate one... Have no idea how active it remained throughout the years, but at the present time it certainly seems to be. Probably not allowed to link to it though...
Hey, thank you for reminding me (I am pretty sure you are referring to the one that starts with "M", right?). Well, if they should really close the forum, I guess I will go there as well and I might take a few of my friends with me (I know some of my friends are already there anyway), I also would know an alternative store ... but that's another story. My hope is that none of this happens and that GOG will somehow realize the way they are on.
Post edited 2 days ago by MarkoH01
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: and a corny name that comes across like a pathetic attempt to imitate a successful company using almost the same name, and they refuse,
Zoom Platform's existence predates the video conferencing software.
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Cavalary: Regarding the forum part, there is that alternate one... Have no idea how active it remained throughout the years, but at the present time it certainly seems to be. Probably not allowed to link to it though...
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MarkoH01: Hey, thank you for reminding me (I am preyy sure you are referring to the one that starts with "M", right?). Well, if they should really close the forum, I guess I will go there as well and I might take a few of my friends with me (I know some of my friends are already there anyway), I also would know an alternative store ... but that's another story. My hope is that none of this happens and that GOG will somehow realize the way they are on.
Too many secrets.
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: and a corny name that comes across like a pathetic attempt to imitate a successful company using almost the same name, and they refuse,
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DoomSooth: Zoom Platform's existence predates the video conferencing software.
^ QFT

ARD - please stop trying to spread unfounded FUD. Also, you say it as if 'GOG' is supposed to be a 'good name' ...
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: Maybe the death of DRM-free is inevitable. It sure seems that way.
No and if in the extreme copywrite will eventually wear out.
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: [...]
I think that if & when GOG does down, then DRM-free as a concept is going to become functionally extinct.
[...]
DRM-free as a concept existed before gOg, they did not invent it, nor are they actually advocating for it. for gOg DRM free is a USP, nothing else and it has never been anything else. when / if gOg folds, DRM free, especially as a concept, is going to be unchanged.
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: [...]
I think that if & when GOG does down, then DRM-free as a concept is going to become functionally extinct.
[...]
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amok: DRM-free as a concept existed before gOg, they did not invent it, nor are they actually advocating for it. for gOg DRM free is a USP, nothing else and it has never been anything else. when / if gOg folds, DRM free, especially as a concept, is going to be unchanged.
As a concept, definitely.

But as a viable market niche? I think it will be a big strike that will convince a lot of publishers that DRM-freedom doesn't work and that there isn't money to be made with it. It will be pretty hard for any other store to grow from the ashes of Gog to the size they are now.
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amok: When / if gOg folds, DRM free, especially as a concept, is going to be unchanged.
Do you really believe that? If the biggest, most prominent DRM free site falls over, don't you think that's going to send a signal to the industry that such an endeavor on a large scale is going to be futile? More than ever before, publishers will feel than DRM-free isn't viable and would be less likely to support future DRM free sites.

You know the kind of capitol, risk, and work required to attempt such a venture? When GOG's own hubris kills itself, it's going to demoralize anyone else from trying to follow suit.
Post edited 2 days ago by ReynardFox
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It does make me wonder if someone higher up at GOG wants to close the forums, but wants everyone to leave first rather than just booting them out. A bit like making someone's time at work hell to get them to quit instead of making them redundant.